This invention relates to a side or horizontal inlet ballcock and more particularly, to a side inlet ballcock which may have either or both of water flow improvements for noise reduction and other structural improvements for packing and shipping expediency. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the side inlet ballcock may include unique means in the liquid discharge portion thereof for more perfectly controlling and generating a smoother flow path, despite the required circuitous nature thereof so as to reduce the normally resulting flow noise levels to less than has heretofore been possible in ballcocks of similar nature. Furthermore, the embodiment of ballcock may include a unique structural arrangement permitting packing and shipping thereof in a folded state of more expeditious storage and shipping form, yet it may be pivotally expanded into a final usable form quickly and easily in a completely obvious manner not requiring any special skills or knowledge.
Various forms of float actuated ballcocks have heretofore been provided for use in liquid level control in various applications thereof. Probably the most prominent use of such float actuated ballcocks has been for the required water level control in toilet flush tanks. Furthermore, due to the locations of such installations, particularly adjacent sleeping quarters of residences, the noise level of water flow through the toilet installed ballcocks has become a critical factor.
As far as float actuated ballcocks for liquid level control are concerned, two major basic forms thereof are manufactured and sold, a bottom or vertical inlet ballcock and a side or horizontal inlet ballcock. With the bottom or vertical inlet ballcock, the inlet liquid, such as water, enters the lower end thereof, travels vertically upwardly to a valve and discharges reversely vertically downwardly finally into the containing tank. With a side or horizontal inlet ballcock, the liquid enters horizontally at a side thereof, travels in this horizontal plane reversely through the valve still maintaining such horizontal oriented flow and finally the horizontal flow is turned sharply at right angles downwardly for discharge through an outlet tube into the containing tank.
Up to the present time, the float actuated ballcocks principally used in the United States for domestic application, particularly in toilet flush tank installations, have been of the bottom inlet type. Furthermore, due to the inherent structure thereof, the water flow noise levels have been more easily controlled. With the water entering vertically upwardly and being totally reversed in vertical flow path downwardly by the controlling valve, once the water begins its descent to discharge into the containing tank, it is not required to sharply change direction of flow until discharged. Thus, although the water leaving the valve and starting downwardly will have a degree of turbulence, such turbulence may be much more easily modified and virtually eliminated due to the single vertical direction of travel.
However, more recently, a domestic market in the United States has been increasingly developing for side inlet ballcocks which had only previously been used primarily in commercial applications. At the same time, there is an ever increasing foreign market for side inlet ballcocks where they are used not only commercially, but in many instances, the only ballcocks used in water level control of toilet flush tanks are of the side inlet type. Thus, the liquid or water flow noise levels in side inlet ballcocks have become of increasingly critical nature.
In side inlet ballcocks, the reduction of liquid flow noise levels is not so easily accomplished, again due to the inherent structure thereof. Up to a point, side inlet ballcocks have the identical problems to those of the bottom inlet ballcocks since they receive the liquid flow horizontally and it is completely reversed in horizontal direction by the controlling valve, but then, the side inlet ballcocks, have the additional problem of turning the liquid flow sharply at right angles downwardly for the final discharge. This greatly expands the flow turbulence problems and it becomes a major question of just how to reduce the same so that the noise levels at ultimate discharge will not be prohibitive.
Another factor of consideration with side inlet ballcocks and of a lesser problem with bottom inlet ballcocks is involved with storage and shipment thereof. Bottom inlet ballcocks, again due to their inherent structure, present a relatively long and thin countour so that the packaging thereof for storage and shipment is of a slim nature which is relatively efficient. Side inlet ballcocks, on the other hand, project markedly both horizontally and vertically so that in assembled form, they normally present a quite bulky package for storage and shipment, thereby adding to the overall cost of providing the same.